The master of chess
by Rao07
Summary: In the sixth year of Ron Weasley, a defeat in Quidditch will bring new directions for his life.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I own nothing and make no profit

A painful defeat from 460 to 450 for Slytherin, Gryffindor seeks at least a draw with Slytherin when the result was 450-300, but in the last error of the 46 errors of the keeper Ronald Weasley during the match happened just before of Captain Harry Potter capturing the Snitch. With the song, Weasley is our King sung at the top of his lungs by the Slytherin crowd, the most varied curses by the Gryffindor crowd, the keeper came to the ground, putting an end to several weeks of problems with his confidence to act in the position, of the discussions constant with Hermione as well as the fight with Ginny and yet this horrible performance in the game hammered in his head without stopping.

But not even the constant anger that he felt during the game continued when he arrived at the castle, without entering the locker room to face his teammates, at that moment only what was going through his head was the conversation he had had with Harry during one of the last workouts, about to delivery the position of keeper,

Through the corridors of the castle, he tried to go as quickly as possible, looking at the floor, not to find, to face and to talk to anyone, all he wanted now was a time to organize his head and understand what he really wanted to do, since playing Quidditch, he would not go any further.

He thought of the best place to be alone inside the castle, as no one came to his mind, decided to go to some of the passages leading out of the castle, but to stay just outside the halls and halls of Hogwarts without actually going somewhere .

Of the seven passages they had on the marauder's map, he decided to go to the one Harry used in his third year and simply stand there in the corridor that would reach Hogsmeade without really going to the. Arriving in the passage going by her until finding any place and decided to sit there.

After half an hour of full silence just breathing in with his eyes closed, Ron rethought how his whole life has been. From childhood without a perspective of the future, with his brothers already reaching the expected accomplishments of the witches children, the inability to relate to his sister, the envy he felt for Harry, the problems and discussions he always has with Hermione and the will to be with her or not, Merlin ! He is not able to define how he feels about Hermione.

After much thought in that dark, dusty place, he finally came to the conclusion that he needed time for him, since he was always surrounded by family, or sucked by what had happened at Hogwarts in the previous years, he never seriously thought about it, pulling from memory the moments in which he most reflected was when playing chess, one of the few things, if not the only one in which he was good.

After much consideration, he came to a decision, for now he would forever leave the prefect post, as well as the Gryffindor keeper, he never had a real desire to be a prefect, and despite all the training done, Harry was right in saying that the problem was his mind, that he was very nervous when he played; continuing as keeper would be a problem for the team, they could not wait forever for him to solve his problem.

As for the people, after the departure of Fred and George, there are only three people with whom he interacts most in the whole school; he's not talking to Ginny and for her reactions it's best that she stay like that, Hermione too, only Harry despite everything that's happened to him in the last weeks tries to still help him even with his behavior lately, to think that he placed the lucky potion for him to take, that by the result of the game it was only a pretense for him to believe; after all, he'll just write to Harry and Professor McGonagall about his departure, and for Harry to explain that he will spend less time with him, but that if he needs help he will.

When he went to the dormitory, he realized that it was time for dinner, but still without speaking to anyone, he tried to take the first step of the decisions he made in his reflections. After bathing and taking off his Quidditch uniform, he put on his pajamas and decided to make the letters for the Teacher and for Harry taking the quill ink and two pieces of parchment, Ron began to elaborate the messages that had been thought. He explained briefly to both of them that he felt that he was no longer able to continue with these activities and that he would do better to concentrate on doing other things; finishing writing he stored everything and went to sleep.

The next morning, five o'clock in the morning, Ron got up after spending twenty minutes rolling around without being asleep, making as little noise as possible, he straightened up and went out to the owlery with both messages, not to mention the very few people he encountered that Sunday day, and gave Pig the letter to McGonagall and Harry to one of the school owls.

On returning, instead of heading to the main hall, Ron headed for the kitchen, at least that day, he thought it best to avoid having breakfast with other people, arriving at the portrait that gives access to the kitchen, he tickled the fruit and entered. Inside the kitchen he managed with the elves what was necessary for a decent meal, he ate there, when he finished he considered the options he had for the future.

After Hogwarts, the only professional career he thought was as a Quidditch player would now be practically useless; with the notes that had the other wizard careers were very difficult to achieve, opening up the business itself would be difficult with no money to start.

As well as the future did not seem very exciting, he thought of how he would do at the moment to improve his chances. The low grades were a result of the little effort he put into the studies which in turn were the result of habit of always copying of Hermione's, although he found Charm, Transfiguration, Defense against Dark Arts and Potions relevant subject, he did not like the tasks that were passed by the teachers, increasing their laziness.

Although realizing that he needs to improve his grades at Hogwarts mainly because he was not rich like Harry or clever like Hermione, Ron thought of changing something and if the best wizarding careers are hard to target now, he should at least try to get the OWLs into studies Muggles, seek muggle studies a possible alternative career to the wizarding world and also get rid of some family pressure,

Realizing how simple his future was, even though Ron did not see much of a problem in it, he found himself wondering how his perspective on the future was different from his two best friends. Harry was insane to have faced a dark wizard five times and to have a prophecy saying that he was the only one who could stop this wizard. Hermione with the intelligence she had and the will to do things within the rules would end up as Minister of Magic.

While he still ate breakfast and thought of these things, he could hear Weasley is our king, probably sung every time someone relatively close to the team arrived in the Great Hall. Trying not to pay attention to the music, he watched the work of the house elves until he realized what he knew best.

"Dobby!" She called.

"Harry Potter's friend!" Dobby exclaimed and walked over to him.

"Hello, you can call me Ron Weasley," Ron said, and tried to work something out to continue the conversation.

"I've been thinking here, and I've had academic curiosity about some things, I do not know if you elves can or will answer; but wanted to know if elves when young to learn the magic you know go to some school, or parents teach or is otherwise?

"Mr. Weasley, we are taught by our parents, but we serve our mothers' house," replied Dobby.

"Um, these wandless magic and those trappings inside the castle, too?"

"I do not know how to explain, Mr. Weasley, I know only the magic in my body when I need to do something, and that also happens if I need to disappear from here and show up elsewhere.

"Okay, Dobby, do not worry about it, go on with what you were doing, I'm going to enjoy the treats you make," Ron said.

The rest of the day, Ron basically passed that way, casually taking some food that the elves brought, and he was also able to get a little device with Dobby to tune the witch radio, and listened to the radio while practicing some spells for cooking , laundry, first aid that were in three small books, which Dobby also left with him.

Early in the evening Ron had his open palm resting on one of the students' tables as he prepared to make a small cut in his hand to train both the fine-cut spell for cooking and to train the healing spell for injuries. With the other hand holding the wand he completed the zigzag movement of the spell and chanted "Diffindo" the moment the door opened in surprise.

"RON!" shouted a voice next to the door, the scare made him lose his concentration and move his hand with his wand broadly, and this made the cut that should be small becomes a large cut.

"ARGHH BUT SHIT YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING", Ron shouted.

At the door of the room a Harry with a frightened and confused face turned toward Ron's scream.

"But what happened to Ron, what blood is this?" said the Gryffindor captain, walking quickly to his colleague.

"I was practicing spells until you showed up," said the other.

"In your own hand! Do not tell me that besides writing me a letter saying that you would leave the team, you decided to punish yourself to the point of wanting to cut your hand off!"

"List arghh Listen I was wanting to practice "Sana Vulnera" intoned the redheaded boy with his wand over the wound.

"Yeah, it's okay just checking, after yesterday we were all very dark about the mood "Tergeo" Harry said as he wiped Ron's blood. "Ron, you're serious about what you said in the letter? Professor McGonagall was talking to me this afternoon, and she asked me to tell you to come and talk to her before the first class after lunch.

"Yes, I am," said Ron, in a weary voice, "I am your friend, and I will continue to be your friend; but I think I need to do more for myself and so I will stay away from people especially after this secular failure I want to be forgotten by people; and well, you need to kill You-Know-Who then in addition to time with Dumbledore you should train that neither in the fourth year to the maze or in the DA of the fifth and not to walk around every corner with me, hearing my bullshit and complaints.

"Ron you were, are and will continue to be a good friend, your concern with me now is the proof of this, I wonder if what you are saying get away from all now is not something just because of a hot head because of the Quidditch".

"It may even be Harry, but Quidditch is what has been making my head spin and treating everyone badly around me these weeks.

"Okay, I'll get you out of the team, but I want at least you and I to train spells together once in a while.

"Okay, but nothing about Hermione, I think she'll be better off without me around.

"Can not you just apologize, Ron?"

"I can not apologize at that time, I thought yesterday and if I apologize to her and the others, I do not change, and then will happen the same things, the same fights, so it's better, I think giving that distance of all".

"I do not think Ron, but I will respect that. But why not me Ron?

"I do not know if I can express myself right, Harry, but I'll try, and let's say that in this aspect you end up being a specific case, because we agree with the problems you have that I think would make you worry about me, besides the problem to get a new keeper.

"Ron, thank you" and with a handshake the two colleagues went out to the Common Room, there they separate, Harry stopped to talk to some colleagues and Ron used the Invisibility Cloak that he borrowed a little earlier with Harry entered the dormitory, left Harry's cloak on his bed and went to sleep.

The next morning Ron, with his hand still sore from the cut it was harder to wake up at the same time yesterday, the whole afternoon practicing the little spells had left him tired and yesterday different from the day of match he just fell asleep a little of Harry's arrival. After getting ready Ron left the dormitory to face the first day of class after the disastrous match, and Ron made it a priority to learn the spell of disillusionment.

The classes of defense against the dark arts went through the usual problems, and Ron had to face Hermione as a double, for breakfast it was a silent experience they stayed between Harry without exchanging a word, but now during class, between the looks of debauchery of the Slytherin students and some of the other houses, and while Snape was taking points and giving Harry an detention for hitting Malfoy with the "Levicorpus", Snape had stated that it was not a non-verbal spell as he sought to get Malfoy and the others students laughed; Hermione thought it was time to take some approach to Ron.

"Ronald, where have you been for the rest of Saturday and Sunday?" asked the girl, getting to the point.

"We're in the middle of class, if you want to ask something beyond it, wait until class is over." - answered

This response seems to take her by surprise, Hermione returned to practice the spells, but Ron thought that because he could not do a spell Nonverbal Shield Charm, the girl began to hit him with greater brutality. Some bruises later and a lot of patience, Ron arranged to leave the room, Harry would still be there to talk about his detention, with a nod, the redheaded boy said goodbye to his colleague, in the hall was now stopped by a now more impatient Hermione .

"And now, Ronald, will you bother answering me?" asked the girl in a bossy way.

"No, I will not, it's none of your business. replied the boy, already aggressively.

"It's my business, from the moment you are a monitor and failing to do your responsibilities, makes me work harder", she returned the girl furiously.

"I've already written my resignation prefect to Professor McGonagall, I believe you will not have to worry about more work, because soon she must nominate a partner more suitable to you, now if you'll excuse me, I have to go to the hospital wing before going to see Prof. McGonagall again", he said calmly, and with that, Ron went to see Madam Pomfrey.

Ron was passing by the corridors of the castle and was faced by various expressions of his colleagues, the most frequent was debauchery, but there was also anger and in a few cases pity; and this was not helping his mood at all, in moments his explosive temper had almost gotten better on him in conversation with Hermione, but in his anger he felt from the conversation, he knew why he was angry at the conversation with the girl, she was right, even if his approach to it has irritated him.

With these thoughts, he arrived at the hospital wing and went to ask Madam Pomfrey to look at the bruises suffered in class and took the opportunity to see if he could get more information about the healing spells. In the room he found the nurse busy with two first-year students who were probably there because they had used some of the products of their siblings Fred and George.

"So boy, what brings you here?" asked the nurse.

"I wanted you to take a look at these wounds from defense against the dark arts," he said, pointing to some of the bruises, "and see if I've cured my hand right from a cut yesterday."

The nurse put to work looking carefully at the injuries resulting from the lesson and healing them, when she finished she asked him to show himself the hand:

"Um, was that your first attempt?" she asked. "Yes, I saw this spell in the book The Healer's Helpmate, and when the cut came I decided to test it," Ron said.

\- It was not bad for an initial attempt, but I must say that you try to bring the wand closer, and if you do not know the cause of the cut I must tell you to take much more care, if the cause is a spell or a dark spell you you must first remove the residual magic from the place with some enchantment, otherwise you will bleed rather than heal, so "she gave him a stern look" come and look for me before I do any nonsense.

Thanking the nurse when she finished, and laughing silently because the nurse started quarreling with the first-year girls who still did not explain their problem, Ron left for lunch that he hoped would be potatoes with meat.

During lunch, Harry was complaining about what happened to Snape, apparently he was to dive into the lake under Hagrid's supervision to capture some creatures for Defense Against the Dark Arts and Care of Magical Creatures, Ron listened silently and occasionally made some comment, on the other side of Harry, Hermione was making annotations on a parchment and casting disguised looks at the two of them as Ron spoke, apparently she was waiting for Ron to enter the topic of his leaving the prefect.

At the end of her lunch, Hermione quickly said goodbye to Harry and said that she needed to go to class earlier, when she left Harry stopped immediately speaking ill of Snape and asked,

"What was the fight this time?"

"It was not a fight, she wanted to know where I was at the end of the week because she had all the prefect work by herself, after a not-so-delicate response from me, I completed and asked for my exit as a prefect," Ron said.

"Well, it must have been pretty rude of what you said, because she did not say anything to me before you came in, just sat eating and writing on the parchment, so you're still determined?"

"Yes, for you to see why it is better for me to move away, the way I am I am never better at my behavior with people, I am thinking of even asking to go to Muggle studies classes, just to listen; with my background and possible that I can not get a decent job in the wizarding world, and who knows if I do not find something better for me in the Muggle world".

Harry was silent for a moment, then continued to ask,

"But do you know if this happens often?"

"Not really, but just to get away from home, I can go try to work for my cousin accountant, well I'm going too, I have to have that conversation with Professor McGonagall", replied the redheaded boy.

Arriving near the room of the Transfiguration Teacher, he saw a Hermione leave with a face of sadness with a bit of annoyance, they did not speak but the girl decidedly avoided facing her, entering the room found the teacher looking at her and then said:

"Mr. Weasley, come in and you can sit down" said the Professor, indicating the place.

Ron sat in the teacher's room and waited for her to start saying,

"Mr. Weasley, I received your letter yesterday, and I've already spoken to Mr. Potter about Quidditch, because your leaving the team or not, if not for disciplinary matters does not involve me, I just asked him to make sure of it next to you for there to be no regrets. As for leaving the position of prefect, although I can not prevent the exit, I worried because well ... - the teacher hesitated - has no direct relationship with a game of Quidditch, and I as director of your house here , I would like to understand your decision better, because this has affected Miss Granger quite dramatically.

Ron took a deep breath before starting - Professor, I understood after the game, when I recalled my previous years at Hogwarts, I was never a person with the characteristics necessary to be a prefect, I think my behavior with Hermione Granger sums up this lack of well, let's say "vocation" for the function, and I might add that having two older siblings last year, and a sister just a year just below me also does not help to create some kind of authority image next to house mates and enforcing the regulations.

"Okay, but it would not be better to change not to change your behavior, as you put it.

"I think to some extent, yes, but I think I want to do other things, or give me more opportunities, or that I just really enjoy it," Ron said, in his head another idea formed.

The teacher looked at him thoughtfully before continuing, "Sir, Weasley, you seem to have thought of something different, would you like to tell me?"

\- Yes, I would like to at least attend Muggle Studies, I ask this because I believe that it can help me to have more, professional opportunities in the future.

\- Well, attending classes can be arranged with the teacher of the discipline, something else?

\- Yes, one of the things I like and play wizard chess, and I would like to know, is it possible for me to start a club here, if I do not already have one?

\- Wizard chess? - The teacher asked as if confirming, upon seeing the affirmative nod of Ron, she continued - There is no club at the moment, there is the club of Gobstones , but of wizard chess has been a long time that we do not have, if you are interested in this activity I can leave reserved one of the rooms next door, but you should put a notice of recruiting members and - Professor McGonagall raised his forefinger - you must accept students from every home without initial restraints, it is not as if there were times like in Quidditch, if there is any personal restraint you should tell me to decide, "she saw Ron's questioning expression - something that I will only initially agree with if it is a case of obvious enmity like Mr. Malfoy, other than that, I urge you not to restrict anyone. and if you allow me a suggestion do not impose a rigid frequency as it may alienate potential members and as president one of your main concerns will be to teach those who wish to learn about the game, in addition I will not test their skills, seen our game five years ago, look at the days you want for the meetings and let me know, I'll report my classes, "the teacher finished with one of the rare smiles.

Ron left that room with the sense of tranquility that he had not felt since the holidays, at least for now, the idea to form the chess club was also bringing him the realization of doing something for himself and not for anyone, not for the family , nor by his friends. With this, he left with a very different feeling, two days ago, he did not give a shit about the Slytherins in Potions class, nor for the irritated glances Hermione gave him when he missed something thing in the potion he had to prepare, his head was still making plans for the club.

The satisfied feeling continued as he headed for dinner and into the bedroom chatting quietly with Harry about what he might find in the lake besides the flu, and even went without realizing what he was doing, a pot of boiled potatoes to Hermione, a small kindness that sometimes even on the days that she normally talked to the girl he would do or only do after she asked, and also in the common room, Ginny and Dean were kissing, but Ron did not notice and so maybe he had not made any comments, the two girls noticed and were intrigued,

When Harry arrived at the dormitory, he turned to him and asked,

"So how was the conversation with Prof. McGonagall?"

"It was good, she accepted my request, just wanted to be sure of my decision, and she accepted my two requests.

"The one to accompany the Muggle Studies classes, and?

"To found the chess club," Ron replied.


	2. Chapter 2

What happened in the following weeks was different for Ron at Hogwarts, compared to all previous years of it. Professor McGonagall awarded the meeting room of the wizard's chess club with the entrance spellbound as the entrance to the common room, other than that, she supposed it would be a great educational experience to let Ron make the necessary adjustments, but without her or the house-elves help.

This meant that these weeks for Ron were used to organizing the club room. The cleanliness of the room was simple, as was the concert or removal of some chairs and other furniture. However, the extension spells he could not get into the room.

But the best change Ron was able to make was with the spells of disillusionment, he and Harry practiced this particular spell a lot, and Ron succeeded after two weeks of trying.

"Turn your wand around yourself like it's a rope, that," said Harry.

"And then?" Ron asked, lowering his wand.

"It's better, but when you move some traces of your clothes appear, let's see how long the effect lasts on you".

"Okay, meanwhile, we'll train the invisibility spell on the wall with windows

"Ron, the spell of disillusionment I understand why you want to know, since I also want to go unnoticed by people without depending on the invisibility cloak, but you will explain why you made me write to Fred and George asking them to explain to me the invisibility spell of the headless hats they sold them in our fifth year; because they answered me, but they asked to be careful not to get caught because they think I'm going to try and spy on girls around the castle", said Harry.

Then he finally stopped laughing at the last part of Harry's speech, Ron replied "Harry, they would never tell me, they would deny and say that this is a trade secret, so I used your prestige with my brothers, and at the very beginning I wanted to see which spell was better, that of disillusionment or that of invisibility, to hide myself, but from what we practice the spell of disillusionment is safer, but now that you mention Fred and George have come up with an idea.

"Do not tell me you're really going to improve this spell to spy on girls?"

"Not to spy on girls, I found it interesting to leave that invisible wall equal to the ceiling of the great hall, and besides, if Fred and George thought you were going to spy on girls it's because they probably tried and succeeded."

\- Oh! cool Ron, the room is going to be very good and ... "Harry stopped talking in my own phrase and began to grope his pockets with a quill and parchment.

\- What are you doing?

"I had some ideas for some new products and I'll see if Fred and George can do it.

"Not a product to spy on girls is it?" Ron laughed.

"Oh shut up Ron, you're all visible, your spell is going on for about twenty minutes, now it's my turn, set the time." And the two continued to practice spells for the club room as well for duels and other useful things.

In addition to the preparations for the wizard chess club room, Ron found himself attending Muggle Studies classes. After the O.W.L.s, Hogwarts' sixth year Muggle Studies class was made up of five students: two Slytherins, Tracey Davis and Daphne Greengrass, two Hufflepufffs, Hannah Abbott, and Susan Bones, and one from Ravenclaw, Lisa Turpin. On trying to get the O.W.L. in muggle studies, she left that decision to him by the end of the year.

The subjects of the classes were very different from what Ron was accustomed to, Professor Burbage taught the discipline as follows: choosing a Muggle world theme such as "television", "telephone" or "football" explained the story, its functioning and its consequences for the Muggles, but the duties related to the subjects were simple, the teacher did not try to be demanding, she was already very happy to have students to problem was the activities of the class together, in those moments, the tranquility of Ron ended. Professor Burbage liked to divide the students of the classes into groups of three, so she understood that more opinions and arguments about the subjects covered would arise. So the girls from Hufflepufff and Ravenclaw came together leaving Ron with the two Slytherins, and the activities consisted of presenting the group's opinion about some questioning of the teacher, these classes always ended in a silent discussion between Ron and the two girls.

"I'm telling you the last time, Weasley, this phone is much more like a two-way mirror than a floo powder," Daphne Greengrass said in a low, irritated voice.

"And I tell you Greengrass, the two-way mirror, as far as I know, it only communicates between two people, since the floo powder can make the person speak to several people one after the another and personally go to the place if necessary, returned Ron the same way.

"I think both are wrong, I think writing owl letters is the closest," Tracey Davis said in a disinterested voice, fingering her fingernails.

"Greengrass, few people have this mirror, and Davis device communication has to be fast, which is not the case with owls".

When Daphne Greengrass with a cold look was going to respond to him again, the teacher clapped her hands together and asked the two groups to present the answers to which wizard communication device is similar to the "telephone" in the next class.

"Well, Weasley, when do you have the time to finish this task? Do not think you're going to get any marks at the cost of my work or Tracey's," Daphne said, still annoyed at the disagreement.

"Well Greengrass, the Weasleys can not win a Knut for free, who would say muggle studies grades, I'll be in the room next to the transfiguration room during my free time, if you want to meet me, otherwise I'll do the homework myself and earn the grades for you, Ron said mockingly.

And Ron left the room watching Tracey Davis hold the giggle and Daphne Greengrass look annoyed at him.

The two Slytherins in class and Harry in the club room were the people he'd been talking to over the last four weeks. So Ron was on a cold morning the first Saturday of December in front of the lake, next to Hermione and Hagrid, waiting for Harry to leave the almost frozen lake demonstrating support.

While they waited for Harry to come back from the second dive, he had captured a grindylow, and left him with Hagrid who was putting him in an aquarium; Hermione approached him and began to speak hesitantly:

"Ron, how's it going?"

"Good and you?"

"A little busy with so many duties, but I'm fine, I wanted to make an invitation.

"What invitation?"

"I had already mentioned, but so much has happened, and ... and ... there will be Professor Slughorn's Christmas party, and I wonder if you would like to go with me?" Hermione asked shyly.

Ron did not expect it, he remembered him and Hermione closer in Herbology class before all Quidditch problems, and for a moment Ron almost accepted, but the memory of Professor Slughorn's treatment of him, and the memory that he would find many people attached to the Quidditch castle and out as Gwenog Jones of Holyhead Harpies, made him refuse.

"Thank you Hermione, but no, I think having you as a company would be great but at the moment I do not want to have to stay in a place with so many people, if you want we can" ... ACHEW ... ACHEW.

At that moment, while Hermione was making a sad expression and Ron would complete the denial of the invitation, a Harry sneezing a lot out of the lake with another grindylow. Hagrid ran to put the second grindylow in another aquarium and Ron and Hermione to help Harry in whatever way possible.

Harry, Ron and Hermione entered the castle. Harry shivering from head to toe, Hermione casting Hot-Air Charm spells on him, made a small effect, it seemed that Harry had spent too much time in the lake; and Ron was carrying the grindylow. When they reached the hospital wing, Ron stood waiting outside with the creature, and Hermione accompanied Harry to Madam Pomfrey.

After five minutes of waiting, two people came down the corridor approaching the hospital wing behind Ron's back.

"I told you not to mess with her, Daphne, because you went to fight with Queenie Runcorn," Tracey Davis's voice said in a low tone.

"Because? BECAUSE? In case you did not notice Tracey that bitch was offering me ten Galleons so I could stop going to Professor Slughorn's party with MY BOYFRIEND Blaise.

"He's not making too much effort to be your boyfriend, is he?" Now shut up people are listening ... oh it's just Weasley.

Ron, who had turned to see who was coming down the corridor, looked annoyed when he answered.

"How come it's just Weasley, I'm no longer a human by any chance?"

Laughing the girl replied - Stop whining Weasley, it was just an expression, we both know you better now in Muggle study class, I was worried that a complete stranger was listening to us - said the girl.

"Ahhh, so it means you do not care that I go out spreading through high school that the snakes are selling and buying people and fighting over it.

"You can even tell Weasley but apart from everyone laughing at you before you start talking since they will remember the Quidditch game, then your whole body will look just like my nose because I'm going to break yours" Said a very angry Dapnhe entering the hospital wing with her nose probably broken and bleeding.

Ron frowned, and Tracey, realizing this, said quietly,

"Sorry for that, we do not even care about Quidditch, she really wanted to annoy you, but please do not take it personally, she also goes through a lot like everyone else.

Ron spent a few moments breathing deeply before answering.

"It's okay, it's not like I can talk to people well and just talk nice things to them, here let me help there.

Ron put the aquarium with the grindylow on the floor and pulled out the wand saying "Tergeo" drying Dapnhe's blood that was in Tracey's clothes, yet the charm also dried the aquarium water with the grindylow.

"Shit, shit, shit," Aguamenti! "," Aguamenti! "," Aguamenti! "

Ron was desperately trying to save Harry's grindylow as the creature began to struggle in the aquarium when Tracey pulled her wand inward.

\- "AGUAMENTI!" - Tracey did the water jet spell correctly filling the aquarium - no need to thank Weasley said the girl between laughs.

Ron whose breath was still heavy and breathless made only a wave of his hand as the hospital wing door opened with a Hermione's expression of surprise.

"What's going on here? What did you do to Ron?"

"Calm Granger, Weasley helped me, and I helped Weasley," Tracey said.

"Because?" Hermione said suspiciously.

"Granger, learn to share your friends, Weasley, after I and Greengrass will come to you," said the girl, laughing back down the hall.

"What did that girl mean, Ronald?" Hermione said in a bossy way.

Trying to control himself by the way Hermione spoke, Ron responded in a controlled manner.

"No big deal, Hermione, she was just referring to the task of Muggle studies, how is Harry?"

"It's better, but you're going to have to stay for a little while longer, and you've been asked to keep grindylow until he's cleared out of here, well I have to go, good luck with your muggle study activity and your new friends," Hermione said soberly and hurriedly .


	3. Chapter 3

Ron took the grindylow into the wizard's chess room and locked it with a simple spell, one of the last things left to get the room ready was to arrange a portrait to stand in the doorway of the room. Over lunch, Ron stood quietly in a corner without attention, could only hear the lively conversations of some people with the proximity of Christmas and the members of the Slug club and the possible peers about who outside Hogwarts would go to the Christmas party planned by the teacher.

But these conversations around were just a boring noise in Ron's ears, in his head, he tried to think of what else he could buy for the wizard chess club, Professor McGonagall had given him some money to buy the game boards and chess pieces and some books for beginners, she said that this was helping at the beginning of the club in the same way that she had helped Harry by buying the Nimbus 2000 for him, yet his head could not forget the last conversation and the look Hermione had given him and his sister's approach was a bad sign in his desire to forget.

"Ron!", said the red-haired girl sitting next to her.

"Yes," he said as he cut the flesh from his plate with spells.

"Are you all right?", she asked.

"I believe so, but why do you ask," he said with a careful voice.

"I met Hermione and she looked sad and told me that you refused her invitation to Professor Slughorn's Christmas party .."

"Yeah, that's right."

"Because?", said the girl insisting on the subject.

"I've already given her the answer, Ginevra, you can ask her."

"Why are you talking to me like that," the girl said in an angry voice.

"Because I'm behaving like a brother who has a twelve-year-old mind who does not care for his younger sister, and who lets her be possessed by a book, and who never kissed anyone else, etc., as you very clearly remembered in one of our last conversations, it will not be my business with who you leave or what you do, but I expect you to have the same kind of attitude towards me, "Ron said quietly, and left the table toward the stairs.

Ron was coming out of the great hall, just as a voice echoed:

"Stop Weasley!"

Ron turned in time to see that his sister was standing, staring deathly at him and with his wand pointed and thrown at the Bat-Bogey Hex, Ron managed to deflect himself by throwing himself to the ground. Behind Ginny, the new prefect of Grinfinory Seamus Finnigan showed up taking points from the house, and he, Ginny, and Dean headed toward Professor McGonagall's room.

Not wanting to make a same way to them, since the wizard chess room was next to the teacher's room, Ron was finishing his lunch before heading back to the room while attracts glances around the room. An hour later, he left the Grinfinory's table and headed to the dorms to take a shower, change his clothes, and continue the preparations for the room.

When he reached the front of the room, the first thing Ron saw was the door to the room open, worried, he entered the room with his hand holding his wand, only to find the two Slytherins, Tracey Davis and Daphne Greengrass. Davis was grimacing at the aquarium's grindylow, and Greengrass was spinning his grandfather's chess pieces with her wand. Impressed by the scene and worried about what was happening Ron asked right away.

"What are you two doing?"

"I thought this was already clear to you, Weasley, as soon as you entered the room?" Davis replied, continuing the grimaces.

"Waiting for you, to finish the work of muggle studies, asshole," Greengrass replied.

"I mean Davis is grinning at grindylow and you torturing my chess pieces, Ron much of your little self-control to respond.

"He must be bored here," Davis said, stroking the glass of the aquarium as the creature tried to bite her hand without success.

"They were insulting me," Greengrass said, spinning his pieces faster as the pieces screamed for help for Ron.

"All right, all right, let's get this over with," Ron said, holding up his hands, surrendering not to continue with a crazy conversation.

As for Ron, the task of muggle studies continued in the same impasse of the last class, as well as the discord between Ron and the girls on the best answer to be given.

"Weasley, do you have a brain?" Because I'm seriously suspicious that you do not. said Daphne.

"Greengrass, are you trying hard to insult me or are you just like everyone else?"

"She's like this to everyone, except she usually keeps quiet so she does not get too much attention from our housemates," Tracey said, trying to make a serious face.

"Stay out of it, Davis, well, Weasley, let's try a damn deal, neither I nor Davis and you seem to have been bred by Muggles, let's get out of here and the first person we find, let's look at our answers, and decide which one is best.

Tracey agreed just like Ron. At that moment Harry opened the door of the room to pick up the grindylow and take it to Snape and found three pairs of eyes staring at him, a curious, a tired and an irritated.

"The first person," Ron said.

"Yes," said Tracey, smiling.

\- How? Why is it going to be Potter? How do we know if he does not want to favor Weasley? Said Daphne

"Daphne, if Potter favors Weasley, we win because we're part of the same group. It's not about which of us has the best answer, but we get a good grade in a subject in which we do not want to spend so much time studying, Tracey said peacefully, but rolling her eyes.

"Okay," I told the other girl reluctantly.

"Does anyone care to tell me what all this is?" Harry said.

Ron, with Tracey's eventual help, explained to Harry the task of Muggle studies, and the disagreement of the three regarding the answers, while Daphne muttered something and cranked the chess pieces of Ron with her wand. Harry spent a few minutes reading the three answers, when he finished he said,

"The three of you have some reason in the comparisons, so I think the three of you should come up with an answer saying that the three forms of witch communication have similar characteristics to the phone, and also because none of you are managing to convince others.

"I like it," Tracey said.

While Daphne and Ron nodded affirmatively, Harry left the room leaving them to finish their duty and went to meet Snape with the grindylow.

Somewhere in the dungeons, that same Saturday afternoon.

Draco Malfoy walked nervously through the corridors to the room where the meeting was scheduled, since the summer he had had the idea of using the Vanishing Cabinet to create a way into the castle, but he was having a hard time repairing it, starting with the kind of wood he was making, at this meeting he now hoped he could find the right kind to start repairing. Today's problem was negotiation with the Carrow sisters.

Two years ago, the twins Hestia Carrow and Flora Carrow. who are now in 5th grade on Slytherin, have begun to be the suppliers of the most diverse items, ingredients and products found to be inappropriate or illegal at Hogwarts, Draco only knew about them when their uncles came to visit his mother last summer and the twin sisters offered their services. Normally customers would order and receive orders from other people or other means that made it difficult for someone to reach them, or at least that's what they said.

Draco finally entered the door of the meeting place and knocked.

"Password?" A voice called from the other side of the door.

Draco unwound the piece of parchment and read.

"I'm an insignificant worm, so my presence does not make any difference," Draco said grudgingly.

"Right, you finally admit your true nature Malfoy," said the voice now chuckling.

Draco entered a dimly lit room, in front of him was a girl with pale white skin and black hair down to the middle of her back with light brown eyes, on his side, about five paces away, another girl identical to the first; the two of them pointed their wands at Draco.

"Your Malfoy wand, we will return after our conversation," they said in unison.

Draco handed the wand and was led to a chair in the center of the room while one of the twins leaned against the wall and continued pointing the wand at him and the other went to another chair behind a table that would be separating the two.

"Malfoy, we have a part of your request here, the other part must arrive by the Christmas holiday." So if you want to make use of this wood that has already arrived will have to pay a part of what we agreed, said the girl who was sitting in front of him.

"Where is my request?" said the boy.

"Here," replied the same girl, waving her wand.

Beside Draco a box appeared.

"Inside this box you will find several types of wood, according to the request we must receive another part until before Christmas," said the girl who was leaning against the wall.

"Now, according to the message we sent you, we want the veritaserum potion you have.

Draco pulled a small glass bottle with a colorless liquid and set it on the table.

"Now Malfoy, this concludes our exchange for now, not that you will remember.

Before he could make any move, he was immobilized and moments later his memory was erased and modified, and he was forced to take a potion. Hours later Draco woke up on the floor of the room with the box he had requested, but without remembering who he had talked to and only a note with instructions from the next contact.


	4. Chapter 4

There was one week left for Professor Slughorn's Christmas party, and shortly afterwards it would be the break of the Christmas holiday. Outside the castle there was snow where you looked and walked, and inside the castle there was anxiety and whispered conversation during class and loud and lively conversations in the rest of the time.

This festive mood had its interruptions with the news of attacks by Voldemort supporters, at that moment the nervousness and fear took predominance in people, Neville Longbottom's grandmother was the victim of a recent attack, but without getting hurt, however from this fact, she decided to move in with the other relatives, Algie and Enid Longbottom. Hannah Abbott's family had been attacked and had some relatives injured, and the same year Ron, Ravenclaw's father Stephen Cornfoot had been killed by a Death Eaters attack.

The person who was particularly affected by the news, if he did not leave school to be with his family, walked around the castle in a nervous or somber way. and it was nervous and dark that Ron was waiting for Professor McGonagall's announcement about the beginning of the activities of the wizard chess club.

"Ron, you need to eat anything or dinner will be over and you'll be hungry," Harry said, concerned about the different colors his friend's face was presenting.

"I'll get something later in the kitchen, I'm enjoying eating there once in a while," Ron said softly.

"Well, you already have a member who is me, it will not be so bad," said Harry reassuringly.

"What if no one wants to come in?"

"That's unlikely, and yet it will be better if a lot of people want to come in soon, look at the work I've had with the Quidditch tryouts and what I'm getting to get a girl to go to Slughorn's Christmas party. it will not be cool if I pick a girl and end up at the party like me and Parvati in the fourth year.

"It's really a very difficult job," Ron said, rolling his eyes.

"Well, maybe if you talked better with Hermione and Ginny to join the club?" said Harry cautiously.

"No, it's better not, I do not want to disrupt the studies or dating of anyone, or worse receive their pity," Ron said seriously.

"You can talk to other people, I think Neville or Luna would like to participate, or maybe those two Slytherins, Greengrass and Davis.

"I never imagined that one day you would make the suggestion of inviting a Slytherin to do anything and I would not find it absurd," Ron said.

"The selector hat spoke of the union of the houses, did not it? and I've been watching them after that day of your work in muggle studies, and they do not show up very often at the main hall table but they seem to be nice to people who talk to them, they did not treat me the way I'm used to being a Slytherin", said Harry

"Hum, you mean your problem in getting a pair is because you're now watching Slytherin girls," Ron said, laughing now.

"Keep your mouth shut, it's nothing like that," said Harry ashamed.

"What's all this about?" Said a voice next to them.

At that moment, Hermione sat down next to Harry with a tired-looking face, Ron was quiet and it was up to Harry to have some conversation between them.

"No big deal, just Ron amusing me with my problems to find a pair," Harry said.

"And what's your problem? Just do not pick a girl like Vane", said Hermione.

"The trouble is, most of the girls are looking like Vane to me".

"Well, if you had told me I would go with you, not with the idiot Cormac McLaggen."

This made Ron lift his head from the plate and pay attention.

"And why did you want to go with him in the first place?" Harry asked

"The other options have declined," the girl replied calmly.

"You could have asked for the ...(Harry stopped in the middle of the sentence, he watched Hermione's gaze and smile and saw that she wanted him to ask for Ron to bring that up, while Ron's killer look said "Say no more, otherwise I'll make Voldemort's job easier and kill you)... Neville, for example", Harry wiped the sweat from his face at that moment of tension.

Hermione, even a little disappointed at Harry's change in the question, seemed like she wanted to understand more of why she was refused by Ron, replied:

"Neville's going to be with his grandmother earlier, and he's worried someone might do something to his parents."

At that moment, Professor McGonagall stood up from the teachers' table and announced.

"Students, I'd like to give you a message, I'm very pleased to say that the wizard chess club at our school is being reopened, with the direction of Captain Ronald Weasley who has an interest, you should look for him or me, good night.

After the announcement, there was some laughter from the Slytherins, some comments from some colleagues, but no extreme reaction, taking the deep look that Ginny gave toward him and the incredulous and then irritated Hermione.

"So this is Weasley, are you no longer a prefect and the Gryffindor keeper to play chess?" With those Slytherin girls? I do not know why I charmed McLaggen so you could be the keeper of the Gryffindor "Turning to Harry, she continued." "That's another reason, Harry, for me to invite McLaggen."

Hermione stormed out of the table toward the bedrooms. As Ron grew extremely red with anger and turned his face to Harry and asked,

"Did you know?"

"Only after the test," Harry said quickly.

"And you did not tell me why?" said Ron, holding his anger.

"Because it was only going to hurt you and her, as it is happening right now, when I asked her why she did it, she said that she wanted to help you, and that McLaggen spoke very badly of you and Ginny during the tests.

"All right, let me calm down a bit, then I'll talk to you," Ron said, putting both hands on the table, rising and leaving the main hall.

Ron spent a few hours in the kitchen after what had happened over dinner, only went to the dormitory when the hallways were empty, he was a little annoyed with Harry, but decidedly furious with Hermione.

He always knew he had anxiety problems with Quidditch, but he never managed to control it, the big reason for Ron's bad feeling was the way Hermione said it was in a way that showed how the girl wanted to hurt him.

No longer Quidditch matter to him anymore, today he did not see why the girl said it to him. He had been far away, had not argued much, and then discovered that she sabotaged the Quidditch tests so he would get the position and made a point of telling him that to make him feel bad, that was too much.

As for Harry, Ron understood that he knew later, and unlike the girl, he did not say anything to not sadden him

"Enough of that!" He said to no one in particular.

Nothing good would happen if he continued with those thoughts, what he needed was to move on, Hermione being hurt with him was not a novelty, and he knowing that he had no talent for Quidditch was no longer new, he did not have because he was feel so bad about what happened. He needed to start his life better than that.

After arriving in the dormitory with a disillusionment spell in the middle of the night, he found his roommates still awake, but dismissed the questioning looks saying that he was in the hospital wing and went to sleep.

The next day it got very cold for Ron, at the table of thr great hall, Harry and Ron were talking to the Muffliato Charm spell so they would not have this conversation heard.

"See Ron, I was coordinating the Quidditch tests and I did not see her doing this with McLaggen, only then did she admit to having bewitched the guy, and then if I came out and told everyone what happened, it was only going to be bad for both of you,

"But if you ... tried to ask Ron, but Harry did not stop talking.

"And if I wanted you on the team that way, I would not have done the tests, I could have made you a Goalkeeper from the beginning, since I played last year, remember what Katie Bell said.

"Right, right, right, you convinced me," Ron said with a closed face.

"What about Hermione?" Are you going to talk to her?

"Not now, all this confusion has happened because I've always been a person who quarrels with her for any reason, I think it's best that she and I should not be any closer," the boy said sadly.

Muggle study class was the last of Thursday, before the holiday break, with Professor Slughorn's party going on tomorrow night after school at eight o'clock.

And Ron for the first time ever since joining the gang wished from the bottom of his heart not to be present.

The content of the class was about theater and related subjects, costumes, makeup, lighting, sound, etc. Each of the groups should do a research on the topics and make practical demonstrations at the end of March and the groups would have until the end of January to decide the theme, in that time they should answer questionnaires on all the subjects and know better the options that they had.

The problem was that her two classmates were not giving a damn about today's class since the beginning of the activity, they were whispering about a seemingly very important subject,

As Tracey desperately tried to talk to Daphne, the other girl had a murderous expression on her face and held her wand tightly even though she was not needed for class and kept repeating:

"I'm going to kill them, I'm going to kill them."

"Stop it, Daphne. put aside your wand. We're in the middle of class. I know what happened was awful, but if you do not want to help Weasley right now, tell the teacher you're not feeling well and ask to go to the hospital by headache or anything.

"Okay," said another girl.

"And do not do anything stupid ..."

With a nod, the other girl left them to talk to the Professor.

Tracey Davis turned to him and said,

"Sorry about that, she had some pretty bad news right now at lunch and that's the way you saw it.

Even not wanting to say those words, since her diagolo skills with girls were zero, Ron said,

"Is it serious?" Can I help with anything?

After studying Ron's face for a few moments the girl replied,

"For some people it is very serious, but I think it is not life and death as it may have seemed to you, in short, she had been dating Zabini since the beginning of September, but the guy was not faithful and dropped her for another girl from our house".

"It must be a bad thing to feel, I am not an authority on the subject since I never had a girlfriend, but her reaction seemed very strong, had she liked him in a long time? I mean before the dating?" said Ron

"I think she might start to like him a lot, little by little, but the biggest problem is that she was traded for Queenie Runcorn, a person she hates, and there is the issue of dress," Tracey replied.

"Dress?" Said the boy with a confused expression.

"Yes, yes," continued the girl, running her index finger through the muggle book summary, searching the subjects of the class questions, "I'm going to have to make a bigger explanation for you, Weasley, you promise not to spread this conversation from now on"?

"Of course," Ron replied almost indignantly.

"Okay, both me and Greengrass, we are not the most popular people in Slytherin, although the two of us in terms of beauty are above average, right?"

"Right ..." Ron replied with a red face.

"Good thing you realize that," said the girl, winking at him. But our families, even old ones, are not rich. And as both Daphne and I are declining arranged marriage proposals for some time and this ended up us joining in a way, but it made our house not see us very well, since some suitors are from there and that our parents stopped us give money as often as it would if we were obedient daughters. So we have to deal with lying comments and rumors about us.

"But, exactly, how does it get to the dress?"

"Well, Daphne had little money for a new dress, but her fourth-year-old could not fit, so she bought a new one, even with little money from her, and now she's wasted that money and not even going to the party. So the only way for you to help out a little bit would be to meet someone invited to Slughorn's party and have no one to take in twenty-four hours yet.

"I know of someone.

"Seriously," the girl said, her eyes glinting at Ron. Who? He's cool?

"Usually you Slytherins hate him, but I'm talking about Harry Potter."


	5. Chapter 5

After Muggle studies, Ron and Tracey combined their meeting tomorrow in the wizard's chess room as the last class of the day ends, taking their respective friends ready for the party and persuading them to go together.

In the Grinfinory Common Room Ron found Harry focused on a Defense Against the Dark Arts homework, Hermione was not around, so he felt calm as he approached and sitting in front said to the other boy:

"Hey, Harry, I'm going to give you a favor back from our fourth year, remember our problem with getting girls to attend for us at the winter ball, I think I got you a partner for Slughorn's Christmas party.

Harry raised his head from the parchment he was reading and asked with a confused face.

"What?" Ron explains it better than you said, replied the other boy.

"Harry, I'm telling you I found a partner for you," said Ron, pursing his lips slowly, mocking Harry's confusion.

"Ron, who would be the lucky girl?" said Harry, throwing a crumpled parchment over Ron's face.

"You'll find out tomorrow night when you go to the chess club."

"Why can not you tell me now?"

"Because it's a secret and you threw a parchment at me, I'm going to get some books and join you," Ron said, heading for the bedroom.

"Just do not go those feathers you bought from Fred George.

"All right," Ron said.

Daphne Greengrass can be considered a person of difficult conviviality in all aspects, in the family, her father held a middle position at the Ministry of Magic and failed to get her interested in arranged marriage to seek support to improve her father's career, the girl simply ordered the only house-elf in the family to appear with a plaque hanging around her neck named Dapnhe at the first meeting between her and the prospective future husband. Needless to say that every agreement was canceled and no one else want some conversation with the daughter of Mr. Greengrass about marriage with their children.

Already with Daphne's mother, the relationship was less troubled, but it did not cease to have its problems, Mrs. Greengrass tried to pass on the eldest daughter the work she did as dressmaker and shop owner of Twilfitt and Tatting, however, the daughter did not show the slightest talent for the job unless you consider the time she sewed the mouth of Sister Astoria, the girl spent three days at St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries to be able to speak again.

With Sister Astoria, the relationship was one of closeness and friendship, but at times the two fought in a very tempestuous manner and they spent a few weeks without talking to each other. In general, it could be said that Daphne Greengrass would not be convinced to do anything easily and was a fairly determined girl

"WHAT?" said Daphne.

"Speak down, please!" The spells to keep others from hearing what we say are not so strong, Tracey said.

"What do you mean, you said I was going to Slughorn's Christmas party with someone?" retorted the other girl

"Did not say you would, said that you would meet him and decide whether or not to go, Daphne and get you out of anger at what happened to Zabini and Runcorn, try to have fun".

"And why do not you go?" Said Daphne much more calmly.

"I did not buy a clothes to go and not like I had so much money now".

"All right, Davis, I'm going to ask you what do you get with it," Daphne said, staring at her friend.

"Okay, okay, okay, Greengrass also has the question that I'll get closer to the boy's friend who I'll introduce you", said Tracey half upset.

"Who's the boy?" Dapnhe said.

"Why do not you wait until tomorrow," replied the other girl.

Daphne Greengrass withdrew her wand from her robes and walked toward Tracey Davis, who began to run.

That same night, Argus Filch hurriedly entered his office with a package, he was managing to hide the euphoria he was feeling, although what was written in the letter seemed to be a little suspicious, he could confirm or not..

Dear Mr. Filch

We know of your passion for Madam Pince, as equally passionate girls of this castle would like to help you, within this package there is a love potion that lasts twenty-four hours and instructions on how to use it, it is really safe, you can check with your Secrecy Sensors, all we want in return is not to be so strict with the students, especially those in love.

Regards,

Loving girls

Yes, the Secrecy Sensors did not show anything strange, he could use that and have a special night with Madame Pince, and who knows after he gets more of that potion, humming, he went to his meeting with the librarian.

For Hestia Carrow and Flora Carrow, who listened to the caretaker singing and leaving with the package later, that meant that their plan had been successful and that Malfoy would have a a little freer route perhaps, just like them.

Friday went smoothly to Ron, since he had nothing specific to do, besides laughing of Harry's pleas to know who the girl he could take the night, without the Quidditch training and prefect activities and the completion of the chess club preparations, he had more time to devote his homework to the practical part, yet the spells he had first learned from the first aid and kitchen books spells he had already completed, and then he went on to borrow Harry's book of potions with the notes of the Half-Blood Prince.

Harry saw no problem, but he lent her on the condition that Ron would help him practice the spells as well, since they both wanted to stay in the castle. They both thought it best to stay in the castle that Christmas, with all those attacks going on, Harry did not want to give more work to the Weasleys and the Order, and also to the ministry, as it was in the summer and perhaps inspired by Ron, decided to practice Defense against Dark Arts and the other subjects with more energy, since his ambition was to become an Auror, even if he did not yet trust the Ministry of Magic now, with prophecy and everything else saw that it should go further than the common Hogwarts curriculum. Hermione had tears in her eyes when she heard this from Harry and even forgot to look angry around Ron.

Soon after classes Harry went to the dorm and put on the most formal robes he had, he had bought new ones in the summer that were similar to the previous ones, and as soon as he arrived and the wizard chess room again asked Ron who he would find.

"Ron, tell who is it?"

"Harry, be happy to know that it's not anything close to the rumors, I mean, it's not Veela, it's not Gwenog Jones, is not it ..."

\- Right! Ron, I hope you stop playing so much with your colleague's problems here, because one day you'll be just as nervous or nervous as I am, and I'll remember what you are ...

Toc, toc, toc ... a soft beat was heard in the room while Harry finished his speech.

"It must be them," Ron said, heading for the door.

"They, they, Ron, how many people are you going to accompany me ..." Harry was saying quietly and urgently, but that did not stop those on the other side from hearing.

"Just one Potter," said a girl in a tired voice.

In front of them spoke Tracey Davis in the normal school robes crumpled and had his short hair shiver, seemed to have left a meeting with the whoping willow. Giving a curt bow, the girl said,

"Potter, I'll introduce you to a young lady, Daphne Greengrass, who can accompany you tonight, if she so chooses, I'll give you a brief account of the main things characteristic of her."

\- Daphne Greengrass is a very determined person in relation to anything, and ambitious in some respects for what I know, has no friends because it considers all close to her his underlings, I, for example, think that I am underling number 2 and sister Astoria is number 1 ... AGHHRRRRRR stop this Daphne. The girl had gotten unbalanced and was supported by Ron.

"Stop talking nonsense about me Davis," a voice said.

Behind her a disillusionment spell fell apart, making a girl appear in a beautiful green and black dress with a silver necklace that seemed to be two intertwined serpents, her hands were covered with green gloves, and one hand held a wand that was sparking the tip .

"Wow!" Harry said staring at her in front of him for at least thirty seconds.

"Well, very little verbalization of opinion, but you've been staring at my face longer than my breasts," Daphne said.

"Your look is very striking," said the boy after a moment.

"Acceptable, let's go Potter do not want us to delay or take too long there," said the girl putting the wand in some compartment of the skirt of the dress and holding and pulling the boy by the arm.

"Are not you going to thank your underling?" Tracey said.

With a piercing look the other girl said,

"Thank you, underling, but we'll still see how the night ends."

Draco Malfoy was in jubilation as he passed the corridors with the utmost care, today he was sure that he would make a good advance in the Vanishing Cabinet and be able to go ahead with the plan to assassinate Dumbledore, strangely, he did not have to worry about Filch , Draco could still hear the muffled voices of Filch and Madame Pince as she passed the corridor while his cat was alone outside the hall.


	6. Chapter 6

C6=======================================================

Draco entered the Room of Requirement once more, in recent months he had managed to get to the seventh floor and use the room, the problem has always been to repair the Vanishing Cabinet.

After Draco located the Vanishing Cabinet on the first floor, he was able to successfully take the cabinet to the seventh floor during the first game of the Quidditch season between Slytherin and Gryffindor with help from Crabbe and Goyle disguised as first-year girls.

He had already studied the other cabinet in Borgin and Burkes during the visit he made to the store during the summer, but when he saw the problems of the other cabinet that is in Hogwarts, he began to despair.

From what he discovered the cabinet was formed by five wooden cores (Mahogany

Maple, Pine, Hawthorn, Dogwood) and three magic core (Thestral tail hair, Thunderbird tail feather, Horned Serpent horn) and to restore the balance between these different magical properties, as well as going through the cabinet's protection spells to avoid sabotage, was a very big challenge for young Malfoy.n

And it was with dirty clothes, dark circles of nights badly asleep, with an empty stomach and dry throat, that Draco Malfoy, with his fist shaking and holding his wand, missed once more the spell he was trying to make.

"No, no, no, not again," the boy whined, lowering his wand to resume the spell.

He tried to inhale and breathe deeply, but the only thing that managed to inhale more dust, he wanted to stop doing it though now his father and his mother depended on him, the Dark Lord's emissaries were clear about what would happen if he continued to fail.

"Cough, Cough, come on, Draco again," the boy told himself as he began another attempt.

Crash!

Just as Draco was leaning over the cabinet, some student or Peeves knocked something heavy down the hall, Draco was surprised and dropped his wand inside the cabinet, as he was in the middle of a spell involving eight cores of different magical properties, the sudden drop of the wand caused an explosion that sent Draco away.

Boom!

Before completely losing consciousness through falling and loss of blood, he had two pieces of wood piercing his body, Draco crawled out of the room for help.

"Hey!" Said a voice.

\- cough, cough, now Draco's cough was accompanied by blood and as he crawled in the hall of the seventh floor, he saw the only person who did not want to see running towards him and Draco had to say the only sentence he did not want to tell him.

"Help me," Malfoy said before he lost consciousness.

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"Potter, let's figure out how you're going to introduce me, if possible I wish the people in my house would not associate with you right away," Daphne said, whispering.

"Okay," said the boy, whispering too.

They were walking slowly down the aisles of the castle until they reached the dungeons, as they combined what story they would say.

"Any idea, Potter?" you need to help me here too, with more words, besides "Okay," said the girl glancing at him now.

"Um, could you be a foreign friend?"

At that moment, the couple arrived at the entrance of the main hall, a group of girls were waiting for Harry's arrival to see who had been chosen or if any of them would be the "chosen".

When Harry and Daphne were seen by the girls, several disillusioned and hurt glances suggest on their faces, as well as audible whispers.

"Why did not he choose me?"

"Oh Merlin! It's a veela!"

"Why did he go and join such a filthy creature!"

"Seeing she of course he would not choose one of us, he must have been bewitched."

Seeing that the reactions were making a worrisome turn, Harry decided to get out of there as quickly as possible, he noticed Daphne looking at the girls with an expression that she had found something unpleasant.

As Harry approached the space reserved for the party in the dungeons, he noticed as they walked down decorated corridors that the two were very close to other students who were also going to the event, this made Harry not resume the conversation they were having before about how to combine the stories of who Daphne would be and how they met.

As they entered the party venue that was amply decorated for Christmas, Harry and Daphne found Professor Slughorn at the entrance to the party welcoming guests with clothes that could make him confused with a Christmas tree.

"Oho, Harry, what a pleasure to see, come, I want to introduce you to some of my other guests.

Without even looking at Daphne, the Professor pulled Harry and Harry pulled Daphne into the magically enhanced room, and the other guests who were still entering were left with no one to greet them.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Potter had problems in the simplest social situations, Daphne watched, though she did not consider herself a specialist.

Not that Potter was a problem, as far as Daphne could tell from his gaze, her dress and appearance had taken advantage of any idiocy about rivalry between Hogwarts houses, as Tracey had told her. He was trying to treat her well.

He was being considerate of her not only in appearance, taking her away from the fangirls without her needing to demand it was a good sign that he was at least concerned about her situation, but the situation she was in now after what had happened in the main hall and was ignored by Slughorn was pushing her to the limit.

Potter could not get rid of some idiot who wanted to write some stupid book about his life while she stood beside him without speaking, trying to control himself, when she had the sight of Zabini and Runcorn kissing.

She did not notice the arrival of the vampire, who accompanies the writer, only heard a scream and felt to be pulled by the arm.

"No," Potter shouted as he pulled her to the other side while his other hand broke the cup he held in the face of someone with long teeth.

Daphne took seconds to realize that she had almost been attacked by a vampire, Potter had his wand in a defensive position.

Without any hesitation, all Daphne's anger had found a target, Daphne did not say anything took her wand and began to attack the creature.

"Stupefy, Daphne began to cast spells at once, and to cause the greatest commotion throughout the party.

\- Incendio, Stupefy, Daphne began to launch various spells and causing the biggest uproar throughout the party.

"Get down."

"We're under attack."

"Merlin, call the Aurors."

Several guests began to run from side to side, throw themselves on the ground and shout in despair. The party had become widespread fight.

"Glacius," Daphne intoned now toward Zabini and Runcorn, the vampire he had managed to deflect from the first spells was now unconscious on the ground, and Daphne went in search of a new target.

Daphne could not see if the spell hit her target, actually, right after saying "Glacius" she did not see anything, her head was hit by something, just before she lost consciousness.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Daphne slowly regained consciousness, opened her eyes slowly, and saw that she was in the hospital wing by the ceiling she looked and the softness of the bed, did not recognize the voices around the bed and could not even see them through the closed curtains, but at that moment exactly what most intrigued her it was because her felt a smell of mass, lemon and sugar coming from her head.

When he tried to move his arms, he saw that he could not move them, nor his body.

"But what's going on here," she managed to speak in a whisper.

"Ah, Miss Greengrass, I see you're awake.

The place where she was had two beds, one where she was and the other empty and both completely surrounded by white curtains, standing near the other bed, Prof. Dumbledore was sitting watching the figure of the people on the other side of the curtains and continued saying,

"We had to limit yours movements so that later Madame Pomfrey could look more carefully at her situation, meanwhile, how to listen to Mr. Potter is feeding the press with his personal life, and see how it goes.

703/5000

With a flick of his wand, Dumbledore made audible the conversation on the other side.

"So Mr. Potter, putting aside the confusion over this attack, who was your pair tonight?" Was it really a Veela?

"Coof, Coof, yeah, it was a Veela, she's back in Hungary, Darbe and I think we're just friends for now."

This statement caused more confusion, one could hear the noise of several photographs being made.

"Is she your "Chosen", Mr. Potter? Asked someone who appeared to be a reporter

"We decided to be just friends for now," Harry said in a clearly embarrassed voice.

"Do you feel embarrassed to relate to a non-human creature?"

"No way! I have a lot of respect and a lot of affection for the ones I met, besides Veelas, I met half giants, house elves, werewolves, centaurs, and I really enjoyed the contact with all of them."

"Where did you and this Veela meet, and for how long?" Someone else asked.

"Ahh, at the Quidditch World Cup, two years ago, and we have since corresponded by letters.

\- Stop! This should be a visit, not an interview, who are you? They are disturbing the treatment and rest of other patients too!

Madame Pomfrey arrived from some other treatment, extremely stressed, expelling the reports.

"If you do not leave now, I'll have to call ..."

"Me, the Director."

Without Daphne noticing, Professor Dumbledore emerged from the isolated bed where he stood and looked in the middle of the wizarding reports.

"I believe that this is enough, I would like you all to accompany the Aurors of the Ministry of Magic and leave the premises of the castle, as agreed by Hogwarts, the Ministry and the press.

Daphne heard several footsteps from people coming out of the Hospital Wing, and Madame Pomfrey complaining in whispers, with Prof Dumbledore and Potter.

Out of the corner of her eye, Daphne caught sight of an approaching figure.

"Who would have thought you were considered an unstable Veela, my dear sister?"

One of the people Daphne not wanted to see at that moment, her sister Astoria approached.

"Why are you here? Dwarf troll" said Daphne.

"I am one of Madame Pomfrey's volunteers, in case you do not know, I was rushed because at Professor Slughorn's Christmas party there was widespread confusion. A Veela began a fight that spread through the room. When the Aurors arrived they found two guests with more serious injuries that went to St Mungus and a vampire, a guest and an Auror were detained for investigations. Astoria spoke without stopping for breath."

Astoria liked to consider herself a well-informed person, which in fact an excuse to be gossipy, her glowing eyes toward Daphne was irrefutable proof, Daphne thought her Slytherin ambition was to be the biggest gossip in the world. Which could be good or bad for Daphne depending on her focus.

"Why am I trapped in bed?" And why were these two people taken away? Daphne asked for the good side of her sister's gossip.

"Okay, we did not have time to examine you yet, as Potter said he hit you with a lemon pie, so the Aurors would not do worse, since they had you on target, he cast a spell by directing the pie up your head. As it also had a fall, we think it better to immobilize until a check."

Daphne's expression closed, even realizing that Astoria continued.

"The two people are already taken by signs of being linked to the Dark Lord."

"I've answered your questions, my dear sister, now answer mine," Astoria said, her eyes sparkling with curiosity, "what were you doing at the party with Potter?"

"I do not know very well, Tracey convinced me that this would be good for me," Daphne said tiredly.

At that moment Potter passed the curtains.

"Um, hi Daphne, Astoria,

"Get out of here Potter," Daphne said, conveying all the anger she'd gotten.

"But I…"

"Out"

This time, Potter left quickly.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Finally alone," said Tracey.

Ron and the girl were left alone in the wizarding chess room after Harry and Daphne left for the party.

"Well then, I think we should go to our dorms," Ron said.

"Of course not Weasley.

Tracey put her arms around her waist and turned to face Ron.

"Those two were just part of why I was here," the girl said.

"And what's the other part?" Ron said thoughtfully.

"Obviously, the fact that I'm here indicates that I'm interested in the wizard chess club.

"So you want to be a part?"

"At first, yes, but first I'd like you to tell me why you decided to put it on."

"Well, I like wizard's chess. Ron said ashamed.

958/5000

"It's a start, but deepen the explanation, please. Said the girl smiling

\- Okay, besides enjoying chess, my experience with Quidditch was very unstable, and after the last match decided to leave the team, study more seriously, and do an activity that I enjoy, not to be in the shadow of a colleague very intelligent and a famous and rich colleague. That is the explanation, briefly. Said Ron

"Okay, I like the explanation, I'm joining the club," Tracey said, clapping her hands.

"You really want this?" Ron asked.

"Yes, yes, let's say I want a change in my life as well, and I think even if I'm not good at wizard's chess, I'm going to like the people in it," Tracey said.

"Okay, I'll put your name on the list of 3 names so far.

"Great, Ron, l will love your company, said Tracey giving a goodbye kiss close to Ron's lips.

Without further ado, Tracey left the room and Ron stayed several minutes without moving.


End file.
